Kim Smith

DFST 004

Assignment 1 “A Teacher I’ll Never Forget” by Mary Telford

I. Introduction (4 points each; 24 points total)

A. Mary introduces her memorable teacher by naming six facts about her.
Example 1. Taught at the Texas School for the Deaf-third or fourth grade.
2. Her name sign was “J” on the side of the chin.
3. Mary realized now that she was probably a midget
4. She was very short, almost the same height as the children.
5. She had very long braids – wore them wrapped up on top of her head.
6. Her hair added about 5 inches to her height.

II. Body (4 points each; 64 points total)

A. Three ways the teacher compensated for her height. (4 points each)
1. She wore her hair very tall to make herself look taller
2. Kept a wooden stool under the desk to keep her feet from dangling
3. Used a platform below the chalkboard so students could see her over the desk

B. How the teacher prepared and taught English

1. She would write sentences on the board
2. She would explain the sentences word for word
3. When the children didn’t understand, she would then explain the meanings in ASL.

C. Three ways the teacher dealt with her allergy to chalk dust. (4 points each)
1. The students took turns erasing the board for her.
2. She didn’t use chalkboard erasers; instead she used wet rags to erase the chalkboard.
3. She would have the boy students press on the sides of her head.

D. What happened one time when the teacher left the classroom? (7 details) (4 points each)
1. She left the room
2. The kids began playing
3. She came back into the classroom
4. She told them that she knew what they were doing.
5. The students didn’t understand how she knew
6. She told them that she could hear them playing.
7. They realized that they were busted after understanding how she knew.

III. Conclusions (4 points each; 12 total)

A. Three ways the teacher is so memorable. (4 points each)
1. She was short and had big hair
2. Allergic to chalk dust.
3. She was able to teach the students English through the use of ASL